The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 253
A. H. HUEBNER.
Efficiency may well be termed the dominant note in the character of A. H.
Huebner. He has ever done with thoroughness whatever he undertakes and as
general manager of the Cascade Lumber Company he occupies a very prominent
position in industrial and commercial circles in the Yakima valley. He early
realized that if one would win success, he must be willing to pay the price of
it -- the price of earnest, self-denying effort, of close application and
persistency, and these qualities he assiduously cultivated as the years have
passed on.
Mr. Huebner was born near Burlington, Iowa, on the 1st of October, 1873, and is
a son, of August and Emelie Huebner. He obtained a common school education and
then he came connected with the lumber business in Burlington, Iowa, as an
employee of the Rand Lumber Company, with which he remained until 1906, when he
came to Yakima, where he entered business circles as sales manager for the
Cascade Lumber Company. In this connection he has steadily worked upward and was
made general manager the same year. Through all the intervening period he has
therefore been active in control of the operation of the plant, contributing in
marked measure to the success of the enterprise.
The Cascade Lumber Company was incorporated in 1902 with H. P. Svendsen of
Hudson, Wisconsin, as president and organizer, A. E. Macartney, an attorney of
St. Paul, Minnesota, as secretary and Robert E. Slaughter as treasurer. With the
death of Mr. Svendsen in 1910, Mr. Slaughter was elected to the presidency.
George S. Rankin, of Yakima, was also one of the organizers of the company and
in fact was the man who interested the others in the project. The officers at
the present writing, in 1918, are: Robert E. Slaughter, president and treasurer;
William Carson, of Burlington. Iowa. vice president; C. W. Lockwood, of Eau
Claire, Wisconsin, secretary; and A. H. Huebner as general and resident manager.
The first sawing was done in 1903 and with the growth of the business the plant
was enlarged in 1906. The company owns four hundred acres of land and the two
mill ponds cover seventy acres, while the mill plant and yards cover thirty
acres. They, employ about three hundred men at the Yakima plant, which does not
include a large force of woodmen employed in operation in the lumber woods. The
plant cuts from thirty to forty million feet of lumber annually, handling mostly
western pine. Their product is sold over the middle west save such as is cut
into fruit boxes and sold in thiq section, one-fourth of the product being used
in fruit boxes for the local trade. They also manufacture some fir lumber for
building purposes. The plant is operated with steam power, the engines having
about thirteen hundred and fifty horse power. They manufacture their own
electricity for lighting purposes and the business has been most carefully
systematized, so that practically all waste is eliminated. They sell all of the
waste wood and burn all of the sawdust and in the methods thus adopted they have
found the secret of success, which is always the accomplishment of a maximum
result with a minimum expenditure of time, labor and material. Mr. Huebner is
familiar with every branch of the trade and his well directed efforts and energy
are productive of splendid results. One of the effective forces for success with
the Cascade Lumber Company is the splendid organization that has been built up.
John Rhodes is sales manager and general superintendent and has been with the
company for fourteen years, while W. T. Hines has charge of local sales and has
been with the company for twelve years. Mr. Huebner has the entire loyalty of
his large force of workmen, being fair and just in his treatment and ever
conducting his interests on terms that are beneficial alike to employee,
creditor and debtor.
On the 31st of January, 1900, Mr. Huebner was married to Miss Myrtle Shontz, of
Burlington, Iowa, and to them have been born two daughters, Dorothy and Ruth,
aged respectively fifteen and ten years. Mr. Huebner is a republican in his
political views but not an office seeker, although interested in the success of
the party and at no time remiss in the duties of citizenship. He belongs to
Yakima Lodge No. 24 F. & A. M., and Yakima Chapter No. 22, R. A. M., and he also
has membership in Modern Woodmen Camp No. 550. He is an active member of the
Commercial Club, serving on its board of directors and also as its vice
president, and is putting forth earnest and effective effort to advance through
this organization the welfare and upbuilding of the city.
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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.